Technical Abstract:
The psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama vectors a bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, in Florida which is responsible for citrus greening disease (huanglongbing), one of the most serious diseases of citrus. Despite the great economic importance of D. citri to citrus production, little is known about the reproductive biology and behavior of this insect. We conducted studies to determine the copula duration, the age at which both males and females reach reproductive maturity, the pre-oviposition period, the daily timing of mating activity in a laboratory colony, and the temporal dynamics in the sex ratio of a cohort of newly eclosed adults. Mean (SEM) copula duration was 48.3 (8.4) minutes (range: 15.2-98.0). Both sexes reached reproductive maturity at 2-3 d post-eclosion. The pre-oviposition period was delayed significantly when females were mated at 2 d of age as compared to older females; otherwise, oviposition generally began within 1 d after mating. Mating on orange jasmine was observed almost exclusively on flush shoots during daylight hours, with no obvious peak of daily mating activity. Mating activity may be constrained during scotophase in part by cooler temperatures and lack of light. The emergence patterns of males and females were strikingly similar, with no evidence for protandry or protogyny. Methods for carrying out mating experiments with this species are described.